SCREAM STREET: FANG OF THE VAMPIRE (BOOK 1) - Tommy Donbavand

Luke Watson is your average pre-teen kid.  Well, with the exception of the werewolf thing, which he can't control and only happens when he's really angry.  But after one of his lapses almost gets a fellow classmate injured, the Government Housing of Unusual Lifeforms (G.H.O.U.L.) is forced to step in, and before they know it Luke and his parents wake up the newest residents of Scream Street - a gaslit, always-nighttime community of zombies, monsters and creatures of the night ruled over by the dictatorial, cigar-chomping "landlord" Otto Sneer.  Luke makes a couple of friends his age pretty quickly - Resus the vampire with long, pointy nails that can pick locks, and a Hermione Granger-like mummy named Cleo - but when he learns of a book that could help him collect six relics to help him to send his human parents back to the real world, the trio of kids set out to find relic number one.  A fun and well-written book that will appeal more to kids than adults, with good messages about friendship and acceptance - but for me it just felt too short, ending too abruptly; I would have preferred one long book telling the whole story, instead of what feels like the first part of many that will keep you reading ... and goad you into buying the next book.  3/5 stars

BRICKLEBERRY VOLUME 1: ARMOOGEDDON - Waco O'Guin & Roger Black

I fell into Comedy Central's "Brickleberry" by accident, and for the most part loved it from day one.  Lowbrow humor and mature subject matter to say the LEAST, the show still made me laugh out loud and was so insane and bawdy, I've since watched every episode of all three seasons multiple times.  This graphic novel combines the first four issues of the new comic (released since the show left the air) into one long volume that begins exactly where the series finale ended - with Woody's determination to leave the largest carbon footprint on the planet attracting the attention of alien cows, who wipe out nearly all of mankind after taking the opportunity to attack (yes, you read that right).  It's years later now, the cows run earth and humans are almost gone, but the dumbest and most useless Brickleberry ranger ever, Steve, now has a weapon for an arm and is sent on a mission to go back in time to kill Woody just before the cow apocalypse happens, therefore saving the world.  The cows, for their part, send trailer trash human hillbilly Bobby - who's grown to love his new-found life as a sex slave for the cows, and wants to keep them ruling earth - back in time as well, to stop Steve ... and from there on nothing goes as planned, of course.  Series creators O'Guin and Black try to cram in every running gag from the show they can into the narrative here, but with all that I just found the first half of this volume a bit dull and not very funny at all - plus, overall, the artwork felt quite sloppy and amateurish compared to the series.  Things pick up greatly storywise though, especially toward the end, but I still can't help thinking this would have been more enjoyable - definitely funnier - on screen than on paper.  2.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

SHERLOCK SAM AND THE GHOSTLY MOANS IN FORT CANNING - A.J. Low

The second mystery featuring Singapore's greatest kid detective, Samuel Tan Cher Lock - aka Sherlock Sam, never without his trusty robot (and sometimes smart-mouthed) sidekick Watson.  This time, the 10-year-old detective is on a field trip with his school to historic Fort Canning when the gang discovers a previously unknown-of sally port leading underground.  Wanting to investigate the doorway to the mysterious tunnel, the kids are suddenly scared off by a series of creepy, ailing moans emanating from the darkness ... and Sam, a man of science like his father, becomes determined to solve the mystery, and prove to his scared friends that there are no such things as ghosts!  As an adult who was weaned as a kid on Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew, I really wish someone like Sherlock Sam had been around when I was a kid.  Set in Singapore and with a cast of multi-ethnic characters, not only are both characters and story wholly entertaining, but kids reading these books also become aware of another culture's history, food and language, opening their eyes and minds to a world beyond their own.  The characters never come off like stereotypes or cardboard; even Sam's sister and parents, while indulgent - even proud - of Sam's detecting skills, still understand and treat him like the imperfect little boy he is.  Only two books in, and I find myself anxious to jump into number three ... Andrew Tan's comic book-like illustrations only further enhancing, perfectly, these wonderfully written stories.  4.5/5 stars

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.